Video transmitting device, video transmitting method, and recording medium

Abstract

A video transmitting device is to be provided in a vehicle and includes a first acquiring unit that acquires first video information from an imaging unit that captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle, a risk map creating unit that creates a risk map indicating a risk region in traveling of the vehicle, a video creating unit that creates second video information having a data amount smaller than a data amount of the first video information on the basis of the risk map, and a communication unit that transmits the second video information to a remote monitoring device for remotely monitoring the vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A video transmitting device to be provided in a vehicle, the video transmitting device comprising:
 a first acquiring unit that acquires first video information from an imaging unit that captures images of surroundings of the vehicle; 
 a second acquiring unit that acquires a sensing result from a sensor unit that is provided in the vehicle and performs sensing of the surroundings of the vehicle, the sensing result being a result of the sensing during traveling of the vehicle; 
 an object detecting unit that creates obstruction information indicating a position and a speed of an obstruction in the surroundings of the vehicle, on a basis of the sensing result and the first video information; 
 a risk map creating unit that creates a risk map indicating a risk region in the surroundings of the vehicle, based on the obstruction information; 
 a video creating unit that creates second video information having a data amount smaller than a data amount of the first video information, according to whether a risk region is present in a traveling route of the vehicle; and 
 a communication unit that transmits the second video information to a remote monitoring device for remotely monitoring the vehicle, wherein 
 the obstruction includes a moving body that could obstruct traveling of the vehicle, 
 the risk map indicates the risk region in the surroundings of the vehicle at a time when the obstruction information is acquired, the risk region changing dynamically according to the position and the speed of the obstruction, and 
 the risk map creating unit creates the risk map by assigning a risk level to the surroundings of the vehicle on a basis of at least one of the first video information and the obstruction information, calculating a dead angle region which the imaging unit and the sensor unit are unable to observe, based on a relationship between the position of the obstruction in the obstruction information and a position of the vehicle, and uniquely assigning a risk level to the dead angle region calculated. 
 
     
     
       2. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the video creating unit creates the second video information by at least one of degrading, in the first video information, an image quality of a video of a first region corresponding to a region other than the risk region indicated in the risk map to an image quality lower than an image quality of a video of a second region corresponding to the risk region and cutting out the video of the second region from the first video information. 
 
     
     
       3. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a determining unit that determines whether a communication network between the vehicle and the remote monitoring device is congested, wherein 
 the communication unit transmits the second video information to the remote monitoring device when the determining unit has determined that the communication network is congested and transmits the first video information to the remote monitoring device when the determining unit has determined that the communication network is not congested. 
 
     
     
       4. The video transmitting device according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the communication unit transmits the second video information at a transmission rate lower when the determining unit has determined that the communication network is congested than when the determining unit has determined that the communication network is not congested, and 
 the video creating unit creates the second video information from the first video information in accordance with the transmission rate when the determining unit has determined that the communication network is congested. 
 
     
     
       5. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the remote monitoring device is coupled to an operation input device that receives an operation input for a remote operation of the vehicle, and 
 the video creating unit creates the second video information with additional use of a traveling route in the remote operation when the vehicle has received the remote operation through the operation input device. 
 
     
     
       6. The video transmitting device according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the video creating unit creates the second video information by at least one of degrading, in the first video information, an image quality of a video of a third region capturing a direction that is not a traveling direction in the traveling route to an image quality lower than an image quality of a video of a fourth region capturing the traveling direction and by cutting out the video of the fourth region from the first video information. 
 
     
     
       7. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the video creating unit creates the second video information with additional use of a target traveling route that the vehicle would travel when the vehicle is traveling through self-driving. 
 
     
     
       8. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the risk map creating unit assigns the risk level to the surroundings of the vehicle on a basis of the first video information and the obstruction information. 
 
     
     
       9. The video transmitting device according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the risk map creating unit assigns a risk level to the dead angle region calculated which is lower than a risk level assigned to the obstruction. 
 
     
     
       10. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a determining unit that determines whether a communication network between the vehicle and the remote monitoring device is congested, wherein 
 when the determining unit has determined that the communication network is congested, the determining unit further determines whether a congestion level of the communication network is no higher than a threshold, and 
 the communication unit transmits the second video information when the determining unit has determined that the congestion level is no higher than the threshold and transmits at least one of the sensing result and the obstruction information when the determining unit has determined that the congestion level is higher than the threshold. 
 
     
     
       11. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the risk map creating unit creates the risk map from traffic information of the surroundings of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       12. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the video creating unit creates the second video information by uniformly degrading the image quality of the first video indicated by the first video information when the risk region is not present in the risk map. 
 
     
     
       13. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the video creating unit refrains from creating the second video information when the risk region is not present in the risk map. 
 
     
     
       14. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the risk map creating unit creates the risk map based on a dynamic risk map created based on the obstruction information and a static risk map created based on traffic information. 
 
     
     
       15. The video transmitting device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the risk map creating unit creates the risk map based on the position of the obstruction and a distance that the obstruction moves in a predetermined period. 
 
     
     
       16. A video transmitting device to be provided in a vehicle, the video transmitting device comprising:
 a first acquiring unit that acquires first video information from an imaging unit that captures images of surroundings of the vehicle; 
 a second acquiring unit that acquires a sensing result from a sensor unit that is provided in the vehicle and performs sensing of the surroundings of the vehicle, the sensing result being a result of the sensing during traveling of the vehicle; 
 an object detecting unit that creates obstruction information indicating a position and a speed of an obstruction in the surroundings of the vehicle, on a basis of the sensing result and the first video information; 
 a risk map creating unit that creates a risk map indicating a risk region in the surroundings of the vehicle, based on the obstruction information; 
 a video creating unit that creates second video information, according to whether a risk region is present in a traveling route of the vehicle; 
 a communication unit that transmits monitoring information to be transmitted to a remote monitoring device for remotely monitoring the vehicle; and 
 a determining unit that determines whether a communication network between the vehicle and the remote monitoring device is congested, wherein 
 the communication unit transmits the monitoring information including at least one of the sensing result, the obstruction information, and the second video information selected on a basis of a determination result of the determining unit, 
 the obstruction includes a moving body that could obstruct traveling of the vehicle, 
 the risk map indicates the risk region in the surroundings of the vehicle at a time when the obstruction information is acquired, the risk region changing dynamically according to the position and the speed of the obstruction, and 
 the risk map creating unit creates the risk map by assigning a risk level to the surroundings of the vehicle on a basis of at least one of the first video information and the obstruction information, calculating a dead angle region which the imaging unit and the sensor unit are unable to observe, based on a relationship between the position of the obstruction in the obstruction information and a position of the vehicle, and uniquely assigning a risk level to the dead angle region calculated. 
 
     
     
       17. The video transmitting device according to  claim 16 , wherein
 the communication unit transmits at least one of the sensing result and the obstruction information to the remote monitoring device when the determining unit has determined that the communication network is congested and transmits the second video information to the remote monitoring device when the determining unit has determined that the communication network is not congested. 
 
     
     
       18. A video transmitting method for a video transmitting device to be provided in a vehicle, the video transmitting method comprising:
 acquiring first video information from an imaging unit that captures images of surroundings of the vehicle; 
 acquiring a sensing result from a sensor unit that is provided in the vehicle and performs sensing of the surroundings of the vehicle, the sensing result being a result of the sensing during traveling of the vehicle; 
 creating obstruction information indicating a position and a speed of an obstruction in the surroundings of the vehicle, on a basis of the sensing result and the first video information; 
 creating a risk map indicating a risk region in the surroundings of the vehicle, based on the obstruction information; 
 creating second video information having a reduced data amount from the first video information, according to whether a risk region is present in a traveling route of the vehicle; and 
 transmitting the second video information to a remote monitoring device for remotely monitoring the vehicle, wherein 
 the obstruction includes a moving body that could obstruct traveling of the vehicle, 
 the risk map indicates the risk region in the surroundings of the vehicle at a time when the obstruction information is acquired, the risk region changing dynamically according to the position and the speed of the obstruction, and 
 the creating of the risk map includes creating the risk map by assigning a risk level to the surroundings of the vehicle on a basis of at least one of the first video information and the obstruction information, calculating a dead angle region which the imaging unit and the sensor unit are unable to observe, based on a relationship between the position of the obstruction in the obstruction information and a position of the vehicle, and uniquely assigning a risk level to the dead angle region calculated. 
 
     
     
       19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for use in a computer, the recording medium having a computer program recorded thereon for causing the computer to execute the video transmitting method according to  claim 18 .